frigatebird

plural frigatebirds · alternative frigate bird

1. Any of five species of bird in the genus Fregata, the only genus in the family Fregatidae.

   Unlike most seabirds, frigatebirds are not able to alight on the water.

   1987, J. P. Croxall, Seabirds: Feeding Ecology and Role in Marine Ecosystems, page 58

   2 more examples

   The oceanic frigatebirds are represented in Australia by three species: the Great and Lesser Frigatebirds and endemic Christmas Island Frigatebird (pictured).

   2011, Penny Olsen, Leo Joseph, Stray Feathers: Reflections on the Structure, Behaviour and Evolution of Birds, page 176

   Often called man o' war birds, they are notorious as piratical cleptomaniacs that steal food from other birds at every opportunity. This reputation is justified, but frigatebirds are also capable of an 'honest' living. It would seem that a frigatebird can discriminate between a bird with a full gullet and one which is empty. An unlucky booby or tropicbird may be plucked out of the air, dangled by the tail-tip and shaken until it regurgitates its food, which the frigatebird then makes off with.

   2011, David Horwell, Pete Oxford, Galápagos Wildlife, 3rd edition, page 64